Pride Review - 6/21/15 with Pictures, Fun Times and Other Shenanigans

[PinaCarada]

Beauties doesn't get crowded until late

 

We stopped by Beauties almost every night, ranging from midnight to almost 3 a.m. I think we may have just mistimed our visits, or maybe because it was a summer cruise with so many families, but it never really seemed to have anyone in there. It was a cool place though! Pictures to come later, of course :p

[PinaCarada]

I'm sorry that I can't stick around tonight, but I should have plenty of posts tomorrow to share our first sea days (and the first elegant night!) with you. Thank you all again for following along, and for your nice words. :D

[ZooTycoon223]

I was on this cruise with my family. I know you said you didn't go to the welcome aboard show, but, if anyone else who went on this cruise saw it, or if you happened to catch it on TV, I was part of it. I was the woodsman in the plaid shirt.

[kimba9615]

We were on this sailing! I am loving your review so far. Its fun knowing we were somewhere on the ship when you were. Who knows, maybe we were at the same place same time. I was going to write a review, but you are doing such a great job I don't need to! It sure was a great cruise on a great ship!

[heatherpl]

 

 

Hi everyone! We’re just back from the June 21-28 sailing of the Carnival Pride from Baltimore with stops in Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, and Freeport. My review will include each day’s Fun Times, plenty of food porn, and photos and commentary on the ship and ports. Also, please feel free to ask me any questions you have, and I will try my best to answer them.

 

If you stick around, I will eventually reveal the answers to all of the most recent burning questions on Cruise Critic, including:

 

Does the Pride really have a horrible vibration issue?

 

How was speed-of-service service and food temperature in the Main Dining Room?

 

Is Half Moon Cay really the most beautiful place on Earth?

 

Did our room have a flat-screen or tube TV?

 

How much weight did I gain from all the food I ate on this cruise?

 

Before I begin, here’s a little background:

 

 

I’m Cara. I’m 32 and work in retail management at the drugstore down on the corner where on a daily basis, I get yelled at for not carrying enough varieties of XXXL ladies' Depends, chastised for not taking a coupon that expired in 2008, and swore at for refusing to write a raincheck for sixty dozen eggs. So I’m ALWAYS ready for a vacation. My cruising buddy is my husband, AJ. We live in Rochester, NY and have two adorable fur-kids that are unfortunately unable to cruise with us because of their dependency on a litter box. This was my sixth cruise (my first being on the Jubilee with my family when I was 14) and our fifth one with each other.

 

We last cruised on the Breeze in January with my brother and his now-fiancee. Everyone but me (of course) received a bounce-back cruise offer from the casino on the last night of sailing. We were required to book within two weeks of debarking, and were limited to specific sailings through the end of June. AJ and I were luckily able to take advantage of our offer and booked our seven-night trip for only taxes and port fees ($237), plus $70 each to upgrade to a balcony, for a grand total of $377. AJ won quite a bit on the slots on the Breeze, and ended up with about 3500 points at the end of the sailing. He earned his Drinks on Us card around the third or fourth day, and also earned us a free bottle of wine in the MDR on the last night of the cruise. He found some slot machines that kept him entertained and paid out well, so his actual money-in was low enough that we felt like really got a bargain for our “free” cruise.

 

We booked this cruise in early February and checked out flights to and from Baltimore, which were pretty cheap but poorly timed (i.e. flying out at 10:30 p.m. on debarkation day). We decided to drive down, and since we’ve always cruised out of Florida, the possibility was very exciting because we didn’t have to try to fit ALL of our stuff into one suitcase. After checking religiously from day one, we finally snagged a Faster to the Fun on May 5, about a month and a half out from the cruise.

 

So, without further ado …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you tell me what this bounce back cruise deal was? Do you have to gamble a lot of money in the casino to earn this or can you go on your last night to try and win this?

[Barbluvstocruz]

Can you tell me what this bounce back cruise deal was? Do you have to gamble a lot of money in the casino to earn this or can you go on your last night to try and win this?

 

My husband received a bounce back offer on our Pride cruise last month. He's a Blackjack player. He lost some money, but not a ton. It seemed to be more about consistency of playtime and betting. He was in the casino a few hours each day, betting $~20 a hand.

 

I spent nearly as much time as he did and likely lost more, but didn't get the offer.

 

If you get an offer it will be in your cabin mailbox on the last night of the cruise.

 

:) Barb

[poppadevan]

Loving your review....Keep up the great work...

[s_klugh]

Love your review! Just off the pride in May! Loved the ship, so much I'm looking at booking again for the fall! Keep up the review for those of us counting the days till we can get back on board!

[YankeeFan4Ever]

Your review and photos are amazing! I can't wait for more!

 

Thank you for taking the time to post! :)

[ForSharonB]

...

We finished our wine and our bill was presented promptly. For those of you who may not know, the steakhouse is $35 per person and is charged to your Sail and Sign account. This total includes gratuity, but we have always received superb service and usually tip about $20 extra.

 

We experienced the most vibrations of the entire trip while we were dining at David's. I'm not sure if it was because we were so high up, or if it was because we were chugging out of the bay, but our table was vibrating enough that our silverware and plates were clinking, and our wine and water glasses were straight out of a scene in Jurassic Park. It did not detract from our meal at all, and it did not make either of us feel seasick or queasy, even after all of that rich food.

 

Here is a horrible video I took of the vibrations in David's. Please ignore my immature 12-year old of a husband.

 

[YOUTUBE]<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xk2EkHXjbZw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/YOUTUBE]

 

Hi - Loving your review!

I've been on the Pride several times and will be on her again in Oct (Lionel Richie) and Dec (NYE)! I've been a little concerned about recent reports of really bad vibration and couldn't wait to hear your take.

I have an aft wrap and which I've had before and didn't mind the vibration, as it lulled me to sleep, but recent reports had me panicked.

Btw I couldn't see your video and wondered if I needed to do something to see it.

 

Thanks much for your wonderful fun review!!!:)

Greatly appreciate it!!:D

[PinaCarada]

We were on this sailing! I am loving your review so far. Its fun knowing we were somewhere on the ship when you were. Who knows, maybe we were at the same place same time. I was going to write a review, but you are doing such a great job I don't need to! It sure was a great cruise on a great ship!

 

Thank you for the compliments, Kimba! It TOTALLY was a great cruise. I hope you find yourself in some of my pictures eventually!

[PinaCarada]

Can you tell me what this bounce back cruise deal was? Do you have to gamble a lot of money in the casino to earn this or can you go on your last night to try and win this?

 

Heather, please see Barb & Jeff's response above. She summarized the Bounce Back offers perfectly. Thanks Barb! :D

Edited July 9, 2015 by PinaCarada

[PinaCarada]

Hi - Loving your review!

I've been on the Pride several times and will be on her again in Oct (Lionel Richie) and Dec (NYE)! I've been a little concerned about recent reports of really bad vibration and couldn't wait to hear your take.

I have an aft wrap and which I've had before and didn't mind the vibration, as it lulled me to sleep, but recent reports had me panicked.

Btw I couldn't see your video and wondered if I needed to do something to see it.

 

Thanks much for your wonderful fun review!!!:)

Greatly appreciate it!!:D

 

Sharon, I'm sorry that the link doesn't work! Let me try again ...

 

[YOUTUBE]Xk2EkHXjbZw[/YOUTUBE]

 

Otherwise, here's the direct link to YouTube:

[PinaCarada]

 

 

 

 

I don't have the tear-off for today, or for the next few days! Total fail. I blame AJ. :p

Edited July 9, 2015 by PinaCarada

[PinaCarada]

Monday, June 22 - Fun Day at Sea and First Elegant Night

 

Monday was a fun, lazy sea day. We got up around 8:30 and hit the Mermaids Lido buffet for breakfast. I didn't take any pictures of our Lido breakfasts because they were pretty standard, and I'm such a picky eater that my breakfasts were basically the same boring thing every day: a scoop of eggs-from-a-bag (I think I must be the only person alive that likes them) and some other fixin's.

 

AJ's plate always had quite a bit of bacon on it. There IS a person serving the bacon, but they are more than willing to give you as much as you like. There were no Bacon Police in effect on this sailing!

 

The Lido buffet has several different "stations" for breakfast. Look for the signs that say "Breakfast Grill" in the midship part of Mermaids for the daily hot meat, bakery (bagels, toast, etc.), grits/oatmeal, egg dishes (including eggs benedict), and pancakes/waffles/French toast. There were also two omelet stations at the tail end of the Grill, and you could choose from toppings such as ham, bacon, peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and cheese. The condiment station is right beyond the omelet line, and includes cream cheese, butter, and jams and jellies.

 

There is also a "Continental" station in the aft part of Mermaids which includes cheeses, deli meats, fresh fruits, and cold bakery treats like muffins, cinnamon rolls, and danish. These stations are where the salad bar is and where the desserts are during dinner and lunch.

 

Other breakfast options on the Pride during sea days include the Sea Day Brunch in the Normandie (which I will touch on tomorrow and during the last sea day), breakfast burritos, arepas and huevos rancheros at the Blue Iguana Cantina, and cold room service selections.

 

As I said above, we had a pretty lazy day. We mostly hung out on Serenity, at the casino, and we totally took a nap after lunch. We did play in the slot tournament, which ran from 12 noon to 3 p.m. The buy-in was $25 per person, and they held different heats of up to 8 people each. We had 5 minutes to score as many points as we could on our slot machine, and the top finishers got to compete for a $500 prize in the finals that were held later that day. AJ and I smacked that "Roll" button as fiercely as we could, but neither of us racked up enough credits to get into the finals.

 

I wanted to briefly touch on a few highlights from the day that we DIDN'T attend but are usually popular around these parts.

 

All of the big contests were held today up at the Lido pools. If you never miss the hairy chest contest or the gender showdown, make sure you grab a spot on the Lido today.

 

The cooking demonstration in David's was at 12 noon. I have also never attended one of these, but CC posters have said the demonstration is informative, fills up fast, and you get free food.

 

The live champagne auction was also today. I ALWAYS tell myself I'm going to go to one of these, if only for the free champagne , but I have never made it.

 

Also, the first of two Tea Times was held today at 3 p.m. in the Normandie. This is also something I've always wanted to attend, but have just never made it.

 

Lastly, at 3 p.m., the first part of the murder mystery was held in the Taj Mahal theatre. We spoke with many people throughout the week who were following along and had a great time trying to solve the puzzles. Each day, there was a cryptogram in the last page of the Fun Times which gave clues to the murderer (who was a member of the entertainment staff) and the murder weapon. On the last sea day, anyone could submit their guesses and a winner was chosen out of all of the correct submissions.

 

After our nap, we got ready for elegant night. We grabbed some drinks and a Taste Bar offering (I believe tonight was Blue Iguana Cantina) and hit the casino before dinner. AJ lost more money on the Great Inca.

 

It was finally time to head to dinner! We were so excited to meet our table mates! We quickly headed up to the room to refill my wineglass from our carry-on wine so that I didn't have to wait for a bar server at dinner, and took the stairs down to deck 2 for the late seating entrance.

 

We arrived right at 8:15, and the doors to the Normandie were still closed. It was like this every night. A line had formed from the doors all the way past the Alchemy Bar and almost all the way to the Atrium. Since we came down the stairs, we just kind of blended in with the people waiting. On our last cruise on the Breeze, the dining room doors were already open when we arrived for late seating, so this was odd for us to see.

 

They opened the doors and we headed straight back to our table. We were the first to arrive, so we picked some seats and sat down to wait for our table mates. And we waited ... and waited. Our head server, Mark, came by to introduce himself and drop off our menus. He also pointed out his assistants, Gordana and Sarah. We continued to wait ...

 

We perused the menu and by the time Mark came back around to take our orders, our table mates still had not shown up. We were totally bummed. We told Mark we had been at the steak house the previous night, and asked him if anyone had been at our table. He said it was empty! We were EXTREMELY bummed.

 

[PinaCarada]

We didn't let a lack of table mates get us down, and placed our order for our starters and entrees. Here is the menu for the first elegant night on ships that do not yet have the American Table menus:

 

 

... and here is the Every Day Menu, which is offered every night and includes the new Steak House Selections:

 

 

We started with an order of the Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls from the Every Day Menu to share. These are one of our favorite appetizers to order. They are crispy, evenly-filled and come with a great dipping sauce.

 

 

For his starters, AJ ordered the Strawberry Bisque soup, which is one of the infamous Carnival cold soups. It tastes like a smoothie in a bowl!

 

 

He also ordered the Spicy Alligator Fritters from the Didja menu. He said they weren't really just deep-fried alligator meat only, but they had other fillings mixed in. He said they were really good and would recommend them highly.

 

 

[PinaCarada]

I started with the West Indian Roasted Pumpkin Soup. It's not overly creamy and heavy, and is spiced with savory hints of pumpkin and nutmeg.

 

 

I also started with the Caesar Salad off of the Every Day Menu. It's a standard Caesar with creamy dressing, grated parmesan, and the same awesome garlic-y croutons that they serve in the salad bar in Mermaids.

 

 

The pace between our starters was perfect. Mark dropped off the spring rolls at the same time as our first starters, and then brought our second course as soon as we were done with the first. Each dish came out piping hot.

 

We were also offered either a roll or piece of baguette from a bread basket upon our arrival, and at other intervals throughout the meal. There was whipped butter on the table (not margarine like one recent CC'er said)!

 

For his entree, AJ ordered the Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef au Jus. They give you a choice of medium rare or medium well, and he ordered his medium rare. They brought around warm au jus for his steak and sour cream and bacon bits for his baked potato after he was served. For prime rib cooked for the masses, AJ thought it was quite good and was done perfectly medium rare.

 

 

I ordered the Broiled Maine Lobster Tail and Jumbo Tiger Shrimps. It's served over mashed potatoes and panko-crusted broccoli and comes with a side of warm drawn butter. I really enjoy the lobster in the MDR. It's always been cooked well and has never been tough or stringy. On our Breeze cruise, I ordered two lobster tails, but just went with one this time around.

 

 

Edited July 10, 2015 by PinaCarada

[T2C]

Monday, June 22 - Fun Day at Sea and First Elegant Night

 

As I said above, we had a pretty lazy day. We mostly hung out on Serenity, at the casino, and we totally took a nap after lunch. We did play in the slot tournament, which ran from 12 noon to 3 p.m. The buy-in was $25 per person, and they held different heats of up to 8 people each. We had 5 minutes to score as many points as we could on our slot machine, and the top finishers got to compete for a $500 prize in the finals that were held later that day. AJ and I smacked that "Roll" button as fiercely as we could, but neither of us racked up enough credits to get into the finals.

 

 

 

Wife always plays in the slots tournaments, so far she has only won a T-Shirt once

[PinaCarada]

After our entrees were cleared, we placed our orders for our dessert and received them within 10 minutes. Here is the dessert menu for tonight:

 

 

AJ pretty much only orders either the cheese platter or the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, and tonight he ordered the cake:

 

 

I ordered the Caramelized Apples on Puff Pastry. I apologize for the lack of picture. This is not one of my favorite desserts but it's okay. Sweet, cinnamon-y apples are sandwiched between flat puff pastries, drizzled with warm caramel sauce and served with ice cream on the side. The caramel sauce is definitely the best part.

 

We were served coffee with our dessert. I think the coffee in the MDR is good, but hey, I'm also the chick that likes the bagged eggs on the buffet. Cream and regular and artificial sugars are on the table at the ready, and refills on coffee are plentiful.

 

From our arrival to when we finished our dessert was an hour and 15 minutes. Each course was tasty, warm, and prepared exactly how we ordered. Ken Byrne, the singing maitre'd, performed and the servers danced (I think it was to "Low" by FloRida, but I'm not positive).

 

Here is a picture of AJ and me at our empty table. Also notice the two empty tables behind us - they would be like this the remainder of the week.

 

 

We headed back to the casino for the Hot Seat promotion and to get our complimentary coupons to play Cash Cube, Casino Vault, or Cash Crane.

 

The Hot Seat is an instant win game where the casino host randomly picks one guest currently playing at a slot machine and one guest currently playing at a table. The chosen guests win straight cash. We always try to be playing somewhere during the Hot Seat promotions, which happen every half hour from 10 p.m. - midnight on multiple nights of the cruise.

 

Also, if you stop by the casino cashier from 6 p.m. - midnight on this day, you will receive a complimentary coupon for Cash Cube, Casino Vault, or Cash Crane. Each game is normally $1 per play, and you can win up to $2500.

 

Cash Cube features a letter "S" that moves along a horizontal plane in the machine. You hold down a button to start moving the "S", and you release the button to try to stop it in a slot that corresponds with a certain amount of prize money. Here's a photo of Cash Cube from our Dream cruise in 2013:

 

 

Casino Vault is similar, but you have a key that you need to control on a vertical and horizontal plane to try to fit it in a keyhole. Like the Cash Cube, each keyhole awards a different prize. Both the Cash Cube and Casino Vault look easy when you're spectating, but I've NEVER seen anyone win anything. John Heald posts pictures of winners once in awhile, but you've got to be REALLY lucky to time either of these machines JUST right.

 

Cash Crane, of course, is like the toy crane machines that you find in arcades, except in this one, you try to pick up wads of $100 instead of stuffed animals.

 

If you can, definitely grab your complimentary coupon for these machines. Who knows? You may come out $2500 richer!

 

Meanwhile, AJ continued to lose money on the Great Inca, and I mostly watched and had some drinks while plopping down onto a nearby slot machine for a few minutes during each Hot Seat drawing. We never won.

 

We headed up to bed to rest up for another exciting day at sea. I leave you with a gorgeous shot of the moon from our balcony.

 

 

[T2C]

[quote name=

 

... and here is the Every Day Menu, which is offered every night and includes the new Steak House Selections:

 

 

[/color]

 

This menu is horrible, there's 3 starters I'd love and 3 main plates I'd love. How to chose?

[Barbluvstocruz]

This menu is horrible, there's 3 starters I'd love and 3 main plates I'd love. How to chose?

 

Order them all and share with table mates. :) At least that's what we usually do.

 

We also always ask for a cheese plate when we sit down. We enjoy the cheese course before dinner.

[heatherpl]

My husband received a bounce back offer on our Pride cruise last month. He's a Blackjack player. He lost some money, but not a ton. It seemed to be more about consistency of playtime and betting. He was in the casino a few hours each day, betting $~20 a hand.

 

I spent nearly as much time as he did and likely lost more, but didn't get the offer.

 

If you get an offer it will be in your cabin mailbox on the last night of the cruise.

 

:) Barb

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the information. We go in November and was wondering if this is just like AC more you gamble the more points or rewards you earn :)

[heatherpl]

Sorry One more question. I was reading that they offer new movies on the ship. does these movies also play in your stateroom as well and do you get a list of what movies that are playing on the pool deck each day and in your room?

[absolutonrox]

Absolutely loving your review! We're booked on the Pride 8/16 and between your review and the "Annie in the sky with Diamonds/Annie rolls a Rhino" post, I REALLY can't wait! It'll the be 2nd cruise for my wife and I, first with Carnival. Keep up the great work and thank you!

[T2C]

Order them all and share with table mates. :) At least that's what we usually do.

 

We also always ask for a cheese plate when we sit down. We enjoy the cheese course before dinner.

 

Good idea but we do YTD at a table for 2 :)